Developing apparatus



A. LAN GSNER DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet l I l l Feb. l 7, .1931.

A. LAN'GSNER DEVELOPING APPARATUS Filed Feb. 20. 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 vide in a type of developing apparatus of'v Patented Feb. 17'1931 UNITED STATES PATENT oFFlcE ADOLPH LANGSNER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR. TO EUGENE PITZGEN ClOII- v PANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A

CORPORATION OF DELAWARE DEVELOPING APPARATUS Application lwed February 20, 1928. Serial No.l255,637.

invention relates to developing apparatus for developing light sensitive material such as'paper and the like, by means of the action of chemically active developing gas such for instance as ammonia gas.

One of theV objectsof my invention is to provide a compactly 'built commercial type of developing cabinet wherein the light sensitive material may be inserted and withdrawn and wherein it is subjected to developing action of gases tainer within the cabinet while the door of the cabinet is being opened or closed in order to insert or withdraw the light sensitive material.

Another object of my invention is to prothe above character, sufficient room within .the cabinet above the pan containing the y.vention also includes the together liquid for giving ott gases so that such'gases will rise to the top of the cabinet to provide a developing zone within which a support or basket for the light sensitive material may be located for the developing action and the device further includes a door for the insertion and'withdrawal of the light sensitive materialwhich door is constructed and arranged so that the basket or work support may be raised and lowered within/the cabinet and above'the tank so as to be positionable at a point opposite the door or to a point substantially at the top of the cabinet for the developing action and therefore my inarrangement of a relatively iat pan veloping liquid at the bottomiof the cabinet with a closure for the topfor` the pan operable when the door of the cabinet is opened or closed to' cut off or open the pan from the remainder of the cabinet so as to permit or preclude the rise of the -'gases into the cabinet and this closing member is of such nature as to provide suicient room above the pan within the cabinet for the effective raisingy and lowering of the work basket and inaddition is operable from a point without the cabinet. 4

l, An ancillary ob] ect ofmy invention resides given off within the cab-` inet and wherein provision is made for `cut-` ting off the escape of the gases from the conor container for the (leholding basket,

in the manner in whichthe closure for the.

pan is controlled from a point outside of the cabinet; and the manner in which the work basket is raisedor lowered within the abinet either by the opening and closing of the closing means for the pan or independently thereof or "alternatively by the o eration of the door of the cabinet if desired? These and'other objects of my invention will "be apparent from a perusal of the ollowing specification vwhen taken in connection with the accompanying drawings where- 1n l form of my invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view of the apparatus disclosed in Figure 1, showing the pan closing mechanism in shifted position;

Figure 3 is a side. sectional viewof still another modiication of my invention; and

Figure, 4 is the same device showingthe pan closing means in closed position.

In the form of my construction shown in Figures land 2 of the drawing, the cabinet 62 is provided with a door 64 hingedto the end wall as at 66 and I again provide the botigure l is a sectional side view of one tom of the cabinet with a relatively shallow -rectly control'the raising and lowering of the to wit, the work work supporting means,

and in addition, I have provlded the interior of the cabinet with means for guiding the basket in its raising and lowering operation. To this end, the inner portion of the cabinet is provided with brackets 74 and 76 connected to the ,side walls of Vthe cabinet at'the end corners of the tank and substantiall above the same and these brackets a yso -iclude centrally disposed be closed by means ofmantion. It will be seen bracket portions 7 8 lhereinafter described; The side brackets 74 and 76, there be'ng four in number, one at each corner, in urn are connected to the under sides of inwardly extending flanges 80. The brackets 74 and 76 in turn provide supports for 11p-standing guide rods 82 and 84, there being four such guide rods, and these rods are connected to the top or roof 86 of the cabinet by means of `suitable nuts 88 whereby the f our rods are -detachably fastened in position at the corners and at the ends and within the cabinet. The work holder basket while capable of being of any openly constructed type so that the gases may pass freely therethrough and so that the light sensitive material may be held therein, is preferably of open mesh or open wire construction 90 as shown in the drawings and is provided at each corner-with a bifurcated lug 92 through which passes a rod 82 at the 'corner so that the basket is free to slide vertically within the cabinet and is guidingly supported by these rods 82 and 84. There is suiiicient ease of action so that the basket may slide easily up and down. y. A

The closing meansfor the tank comprises two shutters`94 and 96 which shutters are rigidly mounted on shafts 98 and 100 having bearings on the intermediate bracket 102 and these `shafts 98 and 100 in turn are provided With gear sectors 104 and 106 respectively having intermeshing teeth and the gear 104 is provided with a lever-like handle 108 mounted on the shaft 98 on the outside of the cabinet. Preferably a resilient strip 110 is mounted on the outside of the cabinet and may be shifted to a position so as to permit the handle to be lowered into the position shown in Figure 4 of the drawing while at the same time will permit the handle to be raised into the position shown in Figure 3 and 'then released to hold the handle so as to maintain the shutters 94 and 96 in open posithat these shutters are of sufficient length to extend from shafts 98 and 100, which are immediately over the opposite ends of the central bracket 102 to points y112 and 114 which constitute the end of strips 116 and 118 which strips overlie the brackets `74 and 76 and extend the width of the1cabinet at the ends thereof. Thus when lthe shutters 94 and 96 are in closed position as indicated in Figure 4, the entire pan 68l will be enclosed within a secondary cabinet 120 and thereby'therescape of gas from the pan will be cut off. In this position show-n in Figure 4, the free ends of the shutters 94 and bottom of the work hold- 108 is operated and the shutters are raised through the intermediary of gear sectors 104 and 106, the freeends of the shutters will contact against the under side of the basket at opposite ends thereof and will forcibly raise the basket against the laction o f gravity and i holding will push it upwardly to the top of the cabinet. At the same timethe shutters will be in open position so that the gas is free to rise from the pan into the top of the cabinet and to develop the light sensitive material or paper carried in the basket. It will of course be understood that my present invention also contemplates the mounting of the shutters 94 and 96 in a manner such that instead of the escape of gas from the pan or the escape ofthe developing gas into the cabinet but will also control the positioning of the basket such that the raising and lowering of the basket into the gas developing chamber and therelfrom to a position opposite the door 64. The broad aspects of my invention are not confined to the illustrated construction since other arrangements involving the broad principles of this inter-connection are within the contemplation of my invention.

Thus, it will be seen that this form of my invention providesl a'very facile manner of inserting or withdrawing the light sensitive material from the basket or work holder while at the same time automatically insuri ing the cutting oft' of the escape of the gasV from the pan when the basket is lowered and on the contrary insuring the opening of the pan closing means when the basket is raised into developing position and this latter feature isy a very important one :since 'without some such means, an attendant might easily forget to open the pan closing means so that the light sensitive material would not be developed. At the same time, this construction permits of a relatively large developing zone above the door 64'into which the work holding basket maybe shifted for the developing action. 1

A Referring now to that modification shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, I therein construction wherein the work means, specifically the basket, itself providesl a closure for the gas escape openings in the pan containing the liquid developing medium. In addition, theY work holding basket is interconnected with the door of the cabinet so that when the door is opened the basket is automatically shifted or rather lowered to a point where it is accessible from the open door while at the same time, and in adprovide a dition thereto, the bottom of the basket forms a shutter for automatically closing the pan openings through which kthe gases are wont to i and forming a sort ofl ile Figures 3 and 4, the cabinet 122 is likewisey provided atits bottom with a relatively shallow pan 1,24 containing for instance, liquid ammonia 126, and provided with the usual filling and emptying means 128. In addition, the pan is provided with a top or at least the cabinet is provided with a top 130, which extends clear acrossy the top of the pan. In the present instance, this top 130 is formed as a separate member and is supported upon brackets 132 and 134 which brackets in turn support the guide posts or rods 136 and 138. The upper ends of these rods are 4connected as at 140 and 142 to the top 144 of the cabinet, there being four such guide posts,`tw.o at each corner of the cabinet. This top 130 is provided with perforations 146 symmetrically arranged therein and through which the developing gas given oif by the liquid ammonia 126 rises to the top of the cabinet and there forms a gaseous developing zone.

In the present instance, the work vholding means, herein shown as the basket 148, automatically controls the opening and closing of the top of the-pan 124 during the shifting movement of the basket. In'the present construction, the basket is provided with lugs 150 and 152 which travel on the rods 136 and 138 to guide the basket vertically and the basket, although of open construction so as to permit the free passage ofthe gas therethrough to develop the light sensitive material, is provided with a bottom having imperforate portions 154 adapted to register with the openings 146 in the top 180 for the tank so that when in the .lower position as shown in Figure 6, the tank will vbe wholly closed and no gas can rise therefrom into the cabinet. I preferably provide the bottom of the tank with openings 156 through which the gas is free to pass when the basket is raised out of contact with the -top 130 of the tank,

although this is not absolutely essential since the gas Vmay pass4 through the sides and through the open top ofthe basket and have access to the light sensitive material.

I preferably provide means for automatically controlling this basket by the opening and closing of the door for the cabinet. To

- this end the outside of the cabinet is provided with guide strips 158 arranged in spaced apart relation on one end of the cabinet and the door 160 is mounted in said guide strips to slide up and down in a vertical plane. The upper portion of this door is provided with a laterally extending lug 162 to which is connected a flexible connector 164 such as a rope or chain Which passes over a pulley 166 referably mounted on the outside of the ca inet and which flexible connector passes through an opening 168 in the top of the cabinet. This opening may be closedby any type of packing material such for instance as a flexi-4 ble strip of rubber or felt so as to prevent of this exible member 164 passes over a pulthe esca e of gas therefrom. The inner end ley 170 mounted on a bracket 172 Within the top central portion of the cabinet and the end of this cable 164 is connected as at 17 4 with the middle portion lof the basket. Hence when the door is lowered to closing position the cable 164 will be pulled to raise thebasket to the upper portion of the cabinet and when the door is slid upwardly to open position the basket will be automatically loweredto fit upon the top of the pan and to close the openings thereof whereby to preclude the further 4,escape of developing gas therefron'n It will be apparent that by reason Iof the foregoing construction, I have provided a most convenient means for not only automatically controlling the escape of gases from the ,pan by the operation of the work holding basket but in addition, by means of the" opening and closing of the door of the cabinet. Hence I have provided means for automatically controlling both of these operations at a point outside of the cabinet While at the same time affording a relatively large gas collecting zone within the cabinet intowhi-ch the light sensitive material is raised prior to the'developing operation.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is: A

1. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enclosing cabinet, a relatively shallow pan Vtherein adapted to hold a quantity of substance evolving chemically active developing gas, said pan having a perforated `top through which the gas may rise able from a lower position opposite said doorrv to a raised position substantially at the top of said cabinet.'

2.y In a device of the class described, the

combination of an enclosing cabinet, means thereln prov1d1nga source of chemically ac- Y Itive developing gas, a door in said cabinet through which light sensitive material may be inserted into or Withdrawn from the cabinet, means shiftably mounted in said cabinet for supporting light' sensitive material therein, said means being constructed and arranged to control the escape of the developing gas into said cabinet, and being shiftable from material receiving and discharging position opposite said door to a developing position substantially` within the cabinet and removed from said door, and means con;

nel

vtrolled from a point outside of said cabinet for shifting said supporting means.

3. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enclosing cabinet having an inlet for the insertion of light sensitive material thereinto, a door for said inlet, a source of developing gas within said cabinet, means in said cabinet for moving light sensitive material from a point adjacent said door to a developing zone, and means automatically operatedby the actuation of said door for actuating said work holding means and for controlling the escape of the developing gas into said developing zone. e

a. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enclosing cabinet, a pan therein adapted to contain liquid ammonia, said pan being normally opened for the escape of ammonia gas therefrom, a work holding basket having a bottom formed with imperforate portions and adapted to overlie the top of said tank to close the same, said basket being shiftable toward the top ofsaid cabinet to a developing zone and adapted when further shiftedc'to be removed from said tank to permit escape of the gas therefrom, a door Afor said cabinet, said door adapted to be opened and closed and connections from said door to said work basket for raising and lowering the same upon the'closing and opening of said door and vice versa. 5. lln a device of the class described, th combination of an `enclosing cabinet having a relatively shallow pan therein containing liquid ammonia, said pan having a perforated top, a work basket in said cabinet havingl a perforated bottom and also provided with imperorate portions adapted to close the perforations in the top o1 said pan, guides in said cabinet upon which said work basket yis slidably and guidingly mounted, aslidable 'door for said cabinet and a lleXible connection from said door to said basket, said connection being constructed and arranged to raise and lower said basket upon the lowering and raising lof said door. v

6. In a device of the class described, the combination of an enclosmg cabinet, a pan therein adapted to contain material adapted to evolve chemically active gas for developing purposes, an open mesh work'basket slidably mounted in said cabinet in a vertical plane and having a bottomprovided with perforate and imperforate portions, said pan also having a cover provided with perforate and imperforate portions, the imperforate portions of said basket registering and controlling the opening and closing of said perforate portion of the cover of the tank, a

pulley mounted in\the top of said cabinet,

a second pulley mounted on the outside of cated at a point below the top of said cabinet and slightly above the top of said tank, and a liexble cable connected to said door at one end and passing around the exterior pulley and through a slot in said cabinet and passing over the exterior pulley and connected to the work basket. v

7. In a device of the class described, the combination of means forming a developing compartment having an opening for the insertion of light sensitive material into-the compartment, a closure for sealing'said opening, a shiftable support for receiving light sensitive material at the opening and carrying same into the compartment for develop ment and means cooperating between said closure land said support whereby the latter is shifted when the former is moved.

8. ln a device 'of the class described, the -combination of a cabinet, provided with an' opening for the insertion of light sensitive material, a door for closing the opening, f shiftable means in said cabinet for supportingtherein light sensitive material to bedeveloped, means for liberating developing gas into the cabinet,.said shitable means being arranged to control the liberation of the gas and means for shifting said shiftable means upon the opening and closing movement of the door whereby to accomplish the controlling of the liberation of the gas.

9. lin a device oi the classdescribed, the combination of acabinet provided with an opening for the insertion of the light sensitive cabinet, and means operable by the movement v of the door fory shifting the said shiftable means to a position substantially removed from said opening whereby to permit of the introduction of developing gases into the cabinet.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my-name.

ADOLPH LANG-SNER.

tbe cabinet adjacent the top, a door slida'bly l mounted in guide-ways on said cabinet, said door being arranged to normally close an opening in said cabinet which opening is lo- 

